


You're My Best Friend

by lightningsmcqueen



Series: wuko week 2020 [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, M/M, break up fic, wuko week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26260069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightningsmcqueen/pseuds/lightningsmcqueen
Summary: Wu's world comes crashing down around him after Mako admits something to him, and he's devastated. Wu is alone and he doesn't know what to do.
Relationships: Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Series: wuko week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906783
Comments: 6
Kudos: 64





	You're My Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> wuko week 202 day 2: angst

From the moment his feet hit the ground, he knows something isn’t right. He looks around the room he shares with Mako and makes note of every small detail he can - the doors are closed, curtain open, newspaper on Mako’s nightstand, and Mako’s side of the bed is made. He shrugs it off as he pulls on his robe and trots into the kitchen, ready to try to make fancy breakfast food. 

He expects to see Mako standing at their kitchen island, drinking coffee, and reading his second newspaper, but he isn’t there. He can see that Mako has been in the kitchen already, his empty mug is soaking in the sink, but Wu doesn’t know why he isn’t here. They have a routine: Mako wakes up first, reads his first newspaper in bed, goes for a jog, picks up the second newspaper while out, takes a shower and gets ready for the day, and then makes himself a coffee and reads until Wu wakes up so they can eat together. 

Wu peers around the kitchen for signs of Mako. The toaster hasn’t been used, the sink aside from the mug is empty, and his newspaper is already in the bin. It isn’t like Mako is in the kitchen every morning when Wu wakes up, but if he isn’t he leaves a note or something behind, but there’s no note to be found anywhere. 

His brain starts kicking into anxiety mode and before he knows it, he’s knocking on Bolin and Opal’s door. Opal answers and Wu mutters out an apology as he pushes her into their apartment. 

“Opal, who’s he– oh, hey, Wu!” Bolin greets him with his radiant smile and Wu feels a bit better. 

“Have you guys seen Mako? He wasn’t at home when I woke up and there was no note or anything telling me where he was going.” Wu explains quickly as he accepts a glass of water from Opal. 

“We haven’t seen him, Wu, sorry.” Opal offers an apologetic smile in his direction. 

“If he stops by we’ll tell him you’re looking for him, though,” Bolin says and Wu supposes that’s the best answer he’s going to get from anyone. 

He stays for a bit and has some tea and chats with them about their lives and what they’re doing because despite living in the same city, they hardly see each other. After an hour or so he decides to head home, leaving Bolin and Opal with a full stomach and a smile on his face. He truly does feel a bit better, but his stomach is still doing flips over not knowing where Mako went. His walk home is spent playing out every bad scenario and prepping himself for the worst. He’s talking himself through what to do if Mako is found dead in a ditch when he enters their apartment and sees Mako sitting in their living room. 

“Mako!” Wu yells and rushes over to him, sitting in his lap. “I’ve been so worried! I went to Bolin and Opal’s–”

“Wu, stop.” Mako sighs and Wu pauses then to notice how stiff and rigid Mako is under him. Mako’s hand is curled in a fist resting against his back, instead of the usual hand supporting him. 

Wu gets up and adjusts so he’s sitting next to Mako instead of on top of him and studies his face. His lips are pursed and his eyes are squeezed shut and the feeling in Wu’s stomach is back. 

“What is it, Mako?” Wu asks.

Mako takes a deep breath and grinds his palms into his thighs. He stares at the ceiling, blinking rapidly before bringing his hands up to his face and digging the heels of his hands into his eyes. When he looks at Wu again, his eyes are rimmed red and watery. Wu’s internal alarm system goes off. 

“I don’t know how to say this.” Mako’s voice wavers, but he continues on anyway, “I really just…” Wu reaches out to cover the hands balled up in his lap, but Mako rips his hands away, “Don’t.” Wu opens his mouth to say something, but Mako cuts him off, “You’ll make this harder than it needs to be. I went out walking this morning. I tried to clear my head and think of the best way to do this, but there really is no ‘gentle’ or ‘kind’ way.” And it’s like a lightbulb goes off over Wu’s head and he understands what’s happening all at once and he’s going to stop it, he has to, but before he can Mako mumbles out, “I don’t think I… I know I don’t… I don’t love you anymore, Wu.” 

Wu’s world comes crashing down around him with five words. He feels cold and clammy and like everything is moving slowly and Mako’s words are echoing around his head as he sits frozen in place in their – fuck, whose is it now? – apartment. He has to have heard him wrong. Mako can’t just say that and end what they’ve spent years building, can he? 

“What did I do?” Wu asks, tone dangerously close to pleading. “How can I fix this? Tell me, Mako. I’ll fix it, I will. We can go to counseling! We can do anything, just please, don’t go.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Mako tries to assure him. “It can’t be fixed, Wu. I’m sorry.”

Mako’s next to Wu, looking heartbroken and Wu wants to scream. He doesn’t understand why Mako looks heartbroken when he’s the one who told Wu he doesn’t love him, it isn’t fair. Wu’s vision is clouded over, and he feels the first tear run down his face, but he’s so focused on Mako, he doesn’t care. Then the next tear falls, and the one after that, and suddenly his face is soaked and his nose is running, but he’s still trying to talk Mako down, to get him to say it was all a horrible joke.

“No! No, Mako, it can be fixed, because this – us – is too fucking important!” Wu jumps up and paces in front of Mako, wiping his face on his sleeves, not caring for once that he has snot on his clothes. “You… you mean too much to me! You’re my first real anything – friend, boyfriend, roommate. This can’t be done like that! It can’t be that easy, if it’s that easy it isn’t fair! You’re supposed to meet someone and fall in love and that’s it! That’s the end of the story! You aren’t supposed to fall out of love, that isn’t in any rule book or play I’ve seen!” Wu works himself up more and more with every sentence until his throat feels scratched and his voice is strained. “Mako, please,” He’s looking directly at Mako now, “I don’t…” He closes his mouth and swallows before continuing, “I don’t know how to do this without you.” And Mako physically flinches at that, and once again Wu thinks it isn’t fair that Mako looks just as wrecked by this as he does. “You’re my best friend.” It’s whispered and pained and broken, and watching Mako turn his head away from Wu after he hears it is a blow directly to his chest. 

Wu takes a step back, unbalanced, and almost falls over before Mako grabs him by the arm and steadies him. He keeps his hand on Wu’s arm and wipes at his own eyes with the back of his other hand. Wu tries to blink away the tears in his eyes, and cover’s Mako’s hand on his arm with his own hand. Without warning, Mako softly cups Wu’s face, and Wu’s mouth opens slightly.

“Can I kiss you… one last time?” Mako whispers into the space between them, eyes red and eyebrows drawn together.

Wu knows he should say no and that this isn’t smart, but part of him needs this. He needs this last kiss that he knows is the last. He didn’t know the last time he heard Mako say “I love you” was the last time, and he wishes he had, he would’ve savored it more. He would’ve taken it and locked it in a gold chest in his mind and placed it high up on a shelf. 

“Yes.” Wu nods and before Mako’s lips touch his, he’s crying again. 

His face is wet again, and he’s trying to breathe normally, but Mako uses his thumbs to wipe away some of the tears as they kiss and Wu gives up. He brings his hands up to Mako’s face and realizes he’s crying too. Wu leans into the kiss more than he should and makes note of what Mako tastes and smells like and how his lips feel against Wu’s. Mako’s hands are pulling him up, closer and closer, and for a moment Wu thinks Mako doesn’t want this to end either, and Wu opens his eyes for a moment. 

Mako’s eyes are squeezed shut but tears are still collecting on his eyelashes, and Wu resists the urge to wipe them away. Instead, he closes his eyes and sinks into Mako for a second more until Mako is dropping his hands and stepping back. Wu keeps his eyes shut for a second longer, imagining that if he keeps them shut, time will freeze and this won’t end; but it will end and time won’t freeze. Wu opens his eyes slowly, hot daring to look up and see Mako’s face. He stares straight ahead at his chest – the chest he’s fallen asleep on during car rides and train rides and late-night radio listenings or political strategy sessions. The chest that belongs to the man he still loves, but no longer loves him back. 

“Mako–”

“You can keep the apartment. I’ll stay with Bolin and Opal or at Korra and Asami’s apartment here since they’re gone all the time. I’ll figure it out.” Mako’s tone is formal and it scares Wu how detached he sounds. His eyes betray him, though. 

“Mako–” Wu tries again, but once more he is cut off. 

“I have to go for a few hours. I’ll be back around 2 o’clock to get the rest of my things.” Mako walks over to their, no, Wu’s bedroom. 

“Rest? Mako, please don’t–” Wu follows him and finds a box with some of Mako’s things sitting on the floor. 

“I’m sorry, Wu.” He sounds so sincere when he says it. He brushes past Wu and carries his box to the front door. “I’ll leave my keys here when I come back.” Wu doesn’t know what to do but nod at this point. Mako opens the door but hesitates before leaving. Wu feels that stupid spark of hope rise in him again. “You’re my best friend, Wu.”

Wu feels angry and tired when he hears that. Mako can’t just say that to him after all of this. “Just go, Mako.” Wu looks down at the floor and points towards the elevators down the hall. “If you aren’t going to stay or say this was an awful joke, go.” 

Wu thinks Mako might say something else, but instead he hears footsteps retreat and the door close. Wu sinks onto the ground, back against the door, and lets out a short yell before collapsing into a heap. He can’t get air fast enough and Mako isn’t here to calm him down anymore, he never will be again, and Wu is hit suddenly by everything that he has to do alone now. Mako was his buddy, his person, and now Wu has to navigate everything by himself. There’s nothing he can do to bring him back. Wu keeps track of the time and leaves before Mako comes back. He sits on a bench at the park for a while and feels better watching everyone having fun by the river, but when he returns home to find Mako’s keys on the counter, he feels everything fall around him again. He takes the keys and holds them so tightly, the ridges dig into his palm.

That night, Wu lays in bed, alone, and listens to the silence around him. It’s too quiet without Mako snoring or making noises of disapproval while reading the paper. And it’s too big. Wu hears every noise echo in the apartment. He doesn’t sleep. He can’t do this without Mako, he can’t live here without Mako. He cries more in the morning when he drops a mug Mako bought for him ages ago. 

Night falls as it always does, and Wu falls asleep with his head on Mako’s pillowcase, allowing himself this one small piece of Mako that was accidentally left behind. The smell won’t last forever, but neither will the pain. For now, Wu clings to the pillowcase like a lifeline and tries to forget that when he wakes up he’ll still be alone.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading!! my tumblr is hotrod2007 if u wan 2 talk ok love u have a good day!


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